Open Shuffling the Cards

[Nixon Mercury]

As soon as the ball was over and Nixon was free from his yearbook duties, he headed to the second floor in a state of anticipation. Going to the ball with Tristan as his date had been a personal revelation to say the least, causing Nixon to realize that distracting himself from his thus far unrequited feelings for Liam by spending time with someone else was worthwhile and exciting. So immersed in the distraction that was Tristan's company, he had reluctantly left to take photos for the yearbook with Caro, knowing this was a responsibility he couldn't excuse himself from. But with these obligations now taken care of and with a kiss from Caro to tide him over, Nixon was ready to meet with Tristan again and mark a great ending to what had been a perfect night. Arriving to the second floor Nixon looked around, not seeing Tristan nearby just yet. He soon moved to stand against one of the walls, absent mindedly playing with his camera and looking to either side of the corridor as he waited. Regardless of how long it would be before Tristan showed up, Nixon was pleased that he was the only person in the corridor apart from the portraits hanging on the walls, because it meant this eventual rendezvous would have some sense of privacy.​

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan had enjoyed himself at the ball, even after Nixon had disappeared to do his Accio duties. But he had been waiting for the ball to end a little too, because of the agreement he had made with the younger boy. Dancing with Nixon had been a lot more fun than he had thought, and Tristan found he really enjoyed how flirtatious the boy was with him. It almost felt like they were evenly matched in that regard, though Tristan was sure he could teach him a thing or two. Nixon had suggested the two of them meet up on the second floor, so as soon as the ball was over Tristan headed that way. It was easy to spot Nixon in the empty corridor, and Tristan grinned as he approached. He stopped next to him, clearing his throat. "I do hope you can tear yourself away from your camera now that you're not doing anything for the yearbook." He teased gently. Then he placed his hand on his arm and leaned in. "I had a lot of fun with you tonight." He said softly, his voice sincere. "Did you have fun as well?"

 

[Nixon Mercury]

In looking from side to side eagerly awaiting Tristan's arrival, Nixon spotted Tristan right as he showed up, a smile making its way onto his face to match the one he was given. He nodded at Tristan's words and moved his camera to his hip so he could focus on talking to the older hufflepuff, clearly able to keep attention on him with his yearbook obligations out of the way. "Of course, I wouldn't have made plans with you if I knew I would be occupied." He confirmed, gaze falling on Tristan's face, taking in the boys features over again as if he had forgotten them after their dances. This was a feeling Nixon wanted to make the most of, enamored enough by someone else to temporarily remove him from his everyday stresses over Liam, and he wasn't about to stop now that it was obvious Tristan was equally enamored with him. Whether it was just for the night of the yule ball or not wasn't Nixon's concern as he was focused solely on the moment, if problems rose tomorrow Nixon would deal with them then, and only then since the last thing he wanted was to ruin this. At Tristan's next words Nixon nodded a second time, indicating that he indeed also had a lot of fun that night. Though Nixon did not want this fun to be over just yet, quickly bringing up a question that was on his mind ever since he and Tristan arrived to the ball. "Can I kiss you now?" He asked, gaze moving to Tristan's lips as he waited for an answer. It might have been impatient of him to ask right as Tristan arrived and before more flirting could ensue, but impatient was indicative of how he felt.​

 

[Tristan Collins]

Nixon took Tristan's comment a little more seriously than he had intended it, but that didn't matter. it just made Tristan smile slightly, as he felt like the boy was very eager to show him he had time for him now, which pleased him. "I was joking." He said gently. "I didn't really think you would make plans with me if you were only going to take photos." He liked the way Nixon was looking at him, and didn't mind the silence that fell between them for a moment. He was glad to hear the younger boy had also had fun this night, and he wondered how to proceed now. He didn't want to be too forward and lose Nixon's interest, but he also didn't want this to extend past this night, so he didn't really have time to take it slow. Thankfully, Nixon was the one who solved the problem by asking if he could kiss him. Tristan smiled in triumph, then nodded. "I thought you wouldn't ask." He teased gently. Then, he reached his hand up to cup Nixon's face as he leaned in. As cute as it was that Nixon asked permission, Tristan wanted to be the one making the first move. He pressed his lips against Nixon, placing his other hand on his shoulder as they kissed. The younger boy was a little shorter than him, but the height difference wasn't uncomfortable. He kept the kiss gentle for now, as he wasn't sure how much experience Nixon had on this front.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Not wanting to wait much longer, the pace of Nixon's heart quickened when Tristan finally kissed him, the fact Nixon did not realize Tristan's joke no longer mattering to him and any events from the rest of the night leaving his mind entirely. It seemed everything that did happen was reaching a perfect end as he kissed back, instinctively moving his hands to the nape of Tristan's neck, the place they now seemed accustomed to. The kiss was gentle and Nixon matched this as he toyed with the prefect's brown hair, the slowness something he appreciated being less experienced with kissing than he was sure Tristan was. Soon enough they parted and Nixon found himself missing the closeness, his brows frowning slightly in annoyance because he did not want this feeling of bliss to end. Wanting to prolong this meeting, Nixon kept his hands on Tristan's neck, his expression softening to show a small smile when he realized how convenient it was. "This is the best night ever." Nixon muttered his thoughts aloud, more to himself than to Tristan before he pulled the prefect in again for a second kiss without much of a warning, feeling more confident in his actions.​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

After leaving the Yule Ball early, Arvel had spent much of the evening wandering around the deserted corridors. There was something about silence in a place usually thrumming with noise that was especially peaceful. He traced the tip of his wand along the stone walls, for once not minding his own company. He would much rather have been up here by himself than down in the hot, noisy crowds downstairs, even if it meant not being with Analei. She was probably still busy talking to other boys, anyway.

At the turn in the corridor, Arvel suddenly came to a stop. He knew the shape of Nixon well enough to recognise him from a distance. The boy he was with, not so much. But that didn't matter. His heart didn't need a face to start hurting. The boy wasn't him - that alone was painful enough. He edged quietly closer, treading quietly on the stone. No. It couldn't be. Tristan. Of every single person in the school, it had to be Tristan. It was almost as if Nixon were purposely punishing Arvel, though what for he couldn't tell. He gripped the handle of his wand and backed into niche in the wall. He shouldn't. Professor Pratt would have him in detention for a month. But he couldn't do nothing. Nixon had put him through so much heartache; this was his opportunity to show the older boy what it felt like to be humiliated. Lifting his wand, he peered around the edge of the wall and focused hard on his target. "Furnunculus," he muttered, failing to consider whether or not his voice would echo down the empty corridor. Once the jinx was cast he withdrew quickly back out of sight. Though he couldn't see the boils that were hopefully popping up all over Nixon's body, he would at least be able to hear their reactions.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Kissing Tristan a second time more confidently had Nixon's mind spinning on cloud nine, the feeling better than anything he had ever experienced - until it wasn't anymore. The pleasant tingling feeling electrifying Nixon's arms and chest suddenly turned to irritation, and his face and lips began to throb painfully, causing him to push Tristan away in the shock of it all, bringing his hand to his face to feel his lips suddenly swollen with lumps. As he brought his hand away he looked to see it was also swollen and lumpy, realizing these lumps were boils covering his body. "Oh my god." He choked as he looked down in terror of what was happening, overwhelmed at this sudden plague to what had been a perfect night. He felt hideous and he was sure he looked hideous, his hands moving to cover his face and preserve the dignity he had left as his usual feelings of worthlessness he managed to ignore during the night returned to him all at once. This was just what he deserved, only he could spend a night feeling carefree and forgetting about Liam for the first time in forever, just to have it ruined. Tears of humiliation and sadness welled in the corners of his eyes and fear told him to get away from there and out of sight so neither Tristan nor anyone else could see him in such a disgusting state, as if disappearing would undo the damage done and wipe Tristan's memory. But Nixon couldn't move even if he wanted to, feeling paralyzed and unable to to anything other than freak out over what was happening to him.​

 

[Tristan Collins]

The gentle kiss was nice, and Tristan enjoyed how much Nixon responded to him. He was certainly a fun distraction for the evening, and Tristan smiled against his lips as he felt the boy play with his hair. He certainly seemed to like doing that, and Tristan wasn't complaining. The kiss ended, and Tristan laughed softly at the expression on Nixon's face. It was clear the other boy wasn't willing to be done yet either, and that was good. He smiled when Nixon said this was the best night ever, his pride flattered by the comment. "It's certainly up there." He murmured back, then let himself be pulled into a second kiss. This time Nixon seemed more confident, and Tristan was happy to kiss him a little more firmly, letting one his hands rest on the boy's cheek. But Tristan was used to kissing people he wasn't supposed to, and even as Nixon's kisses distracted him, a part of him automatically stayed alert. That was how he heard a soft voice in the corridor. He didn't register it immediately, though it sounded vaguely like a spell. He was happy to keep kissing Nixon and ignore it for now, until he felt the skin of Nixon's face change under his hand, and felt the boy tense up. Nixon pulled him away and as Tristan took a look at him he immediately understood why. The boy had been hit by a boil curse, and Tristan tore his gaze away angrily. Someone had done this, and that someone would have to pay. "Stay here." He snapped, barely pausing before he grabbed his wand. "Lumos." The light of his wand illuminated the corridor more than it already was, and Tristan angrily stalked away in the direction he had heard the voice in. He was sure someone was there, someone who had done this to them. It felt like something Rory Fergusson would do, but even Tristan could admit he wouldn't be hiding like a coward. Tristan looked around, his wand clenched in his hand. When he saw a figure in a shadowy niche, he pointed the lit wand at him immediately. His eyes narrowed when he saw who it was, his anger clear on his face. "You." He spat. Why was this boy meddling with his life again? Hadn't the situation with October been enough? "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you stalking me to ruin my love life?" He had no idea what the boy could possibly be trying to achieve, but he was very annoyed by the interruption. He was half-tempted to jinx the boy in return, but knew he couldn't risk it. Not with the head boy position on the line. Instead he turned off the light. "Nox." He muttered, though he kept his wand pointed at Arvel.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel smirked with satisfaction as Nixon reacted to the jinx, though a larger part of him was growing horrified at the realisation of what he'd just done. Two wrongs didn't make a right. That was what his parents had always told him. Yes, Nixon and Tristan had both been unkind to Arvel, but did that mean they deserved this? And didn't it make him just as awful as them?

Slipping his wand back in his pocket, Arvel decided it was time to leave. He hadn't even had the chance to move, however, when Tristan's wand light appeared directly in front of him. He let out a short gasp, pressing himself back into the niche. There was nowhere to go. He was completely trapped. Worse still, Tristan had already figured out that Arvel was responsible for Nixon's spontaneous boil outbreak. Grasping at the wall behind him, he shook his head. What was Tristan going to do to him? "No - I wasn't - I was just... I'm sorry," he stammered, like apologising might somehow be enough to save him from a more severe punishment. "I'm not stalking you. Please let me go. Please." Arvel hated this - being stuck, being intimidated, being completely helpless. Yet he knew he only had himself to blame. "I'm sorry. Please."

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire was enjoying herself. She'd had a nice night, and for once she wanted to talk to Onyx about it. She was on her way up to Gryffindor tower when she stumbled onto a confusing scene. Nixon was covered in boils and upset, and some guy had Arvel backed into a corner. She didn't have much time to react, but she pulled out her wand quickly. "Expelliarmus." She shot the older boys wand from his hand and slid deftly between him and Arvel. She crossed her arms and smiled brightly. "'Ello." She greeted cheerily. "Not sure what's happening, but what do ya say we talk about it?"

 

[Tristan Collins]

It was obvious Arvel was guilty, as the shame and guilt were clear to see on his face. Tristan tightened his grip on his wand, and it took all his focus and concentration not to hit the boy with a few well-aimed jinxes. He wasn't going to, the wand was just there to intimidate him. Which was working pretty well. "You were just?" He asked, frowning. "Finish your sentence. You were just jinxing my date for no good reason, so what were you thinking?" He snapped. Tristan shook his head. "I'm reporting you to your head of house. You'll be in a lot of trouble for this." He told the younger boy, secretly a little pleased by how intimidated he was. But then his wand flew from his hand, and he frowned in confusion until a girl slipped between him and Arvel. He looked at her, unimpressed. "I don't know who you are, but you should really think twice before using spells on a prefect. Give me back my wand." He snapped, having no patience for this at all. "I'll also report you to your head of house, as I'm within my right to discipline a student for jinxing someone else. We were talking about it, and it has nothing to do with you. So and give me back my wand and move along." He snapped, then looked back at Arvel. "Don't think this is over just yet. To start, I'm taking ten points."

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

"Ten points for what?" Professor Kingsley rounded the corner, a stern expression on her face. She came face to face with a crowd of students, a motley crew that she wouldn't have expected to see together. There was Tristan Collins, one of her runes students with a student she didn't know a bit further down the corridor. Her son's friend, the female one, not the boy she'd begun to suspect was more than just a friend for Jacob. And Arvel Ayers, the third year she'd had an incident with in his first lesson. Professor Kingsley still wasn't entirely sure why the boy had given her such attitude. The woman waited for an explanation, the small box she'd been heading to deliver to Monty's office in her hand preventing her from crossing her arms. It was a set of monogrammed cufflinks she'd ordered.

Taking house points from a student was not something to be taken lightly, and she wanted to know what would have caused Tristan to do such a thing. She knew him to be a sensible, studious boy so she was very concerned about what might have happened to upset him to the point of taking house points. "And why is it so dark?" she added, using her wand to further illuminate the space. She took in the students, eyes narrowing as she awaited an explanation.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire was about to retort when Professor Kingsley came around the corner. So she answered the woman instead. She was Jake's mom, so she had to be willing to listen at least. "He says Arvel boiled Nixon." She nodded down the hall. "I dunno bout that, I came around to see Arvel backed against the wall with this guys wand in his face. I shot the wand away and stood here. That's when you came in." She looked at the woman, waiting to see what would happen. She trusted her, at least. Maybe she could make sense of this mess.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

In a state of shock at what happened and caught up in his own self deprecating thoughts, Nixon became oblivious to what was happening around him after Tristan told him to stay put. He listened to the order relieved that Tristan stepped away to leave him alone, knowing the further away Tristan was the less likely he would be able to see the worst of the disgusting boils all over him. It was when he was alone Nixon hunched over and started to sob quietly, letting the tears that had been forming in his eyes to fall and his overwhelming feeling of humiliation take over. It was a little while later when the worst of his feelings were out that he calmed down slightly and managed to move his hands from his face and wipe his eyes, looking over to the commotion down the corridor he had missed during his self absorbed freak out. He watched and listened from afar and his mouth soon dropped open in shock when Professor Kingsley arrived and cast lumos to reveal that it was Arvel who Tristan had been accusing of casting the spell. Nixon's eyes fell to the floor in disbelief that Arvel of all people had chosen to ruin his night. Frowning, Nixon stood up straight again and walked to where Professor Kingsley was in time to comment after Sapphire's words. "Arvel did this to me!" He exclaimed, hurt in his voice and the humiliation he still felt evident. But knowing Arvel was the one responsible meant whatever Nixon felt before had been overcome by anger and a need to make sure he got his comeuppance for what he had done. He still did not want anyone to see him looking so disgusting and knew he would regret walking into the light later on but that was the last consideration on his mind when all he wanted now was for Arvel to get what he deserved.​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Everything was going wrong so quickly. First Sapphire arrived, but though her attempt to stick up for Arvel was valiant, she shouldn't have bothered. He was guilty. He deserved to be caught. Next Tristan took ten house points from Hufflepuff - only the beginning, Arvel suspected, of his punishment. Tristan might have appeared to be letting him go lightly, but Arvel knew his life was going to be miserable from here on out. Then Professor Kingsley arrived. Of all the professors, it just had to be one of the only ones he had a history with. And she was going to ask why he'd done this, and he was going to have to explain everything, every humiliating detail, so that she wouldn't label him difficult, troublesome. He couldn't take it. By the time Nixon came over, Arvel was crying. It was a stupid, cowardly reaction, and since he was still trapped in the niche, all he could do to hide it was turn away and lean forward against the wall, his forehead pressing on his arms. Why him? Why him? "Just leave me alone," he cried softly into the wall. Then a sudden heat swelled in his chest. "I hate you. I hate all of you!"

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan looked up at the sound of a familiar voice, and saw his Ancient Runes professor standing there. He was a little worried about what she would think, but he was mostly relieved to see her. The situation was out of his control, and if he could explain it correctly she would definitely see he wasn't at fault. He frowned in annoyance as the girl spoke first, and then Nixon joined to say what had happened. Tristan didn't quite look at him, he didn't really enjoy seeing him like this. Then Arvel started to cry and whine about it, and Tristan grew frustrated. No one was telling it properly, and now the story was getting all muddled. Tristan straightened up and looked at Professor Kingsley. "Professor. Allow me to explain what happened." He said after composing himself, glancing at the others for a moment before returning his attention on her. "I was... saying goodnight to my date after the ball," he gestured at Nixon without looking at him. "And while we were together, he was suddenly attacked by a Furnunculus jinx from this direction. I headed over here, using my wand to light up this niche, only to find Arvel here, clearly guilty." He frowned as he looked at Sapphire. "Then she came along and disarmed me, even though I wasn't using my wand for anything else. I was simply talking to him, but he hasn't told me why he has done such a thing. I hope it's understandable that I was angry and shocked, and clearly Nixon is suffering from the spell. That's why I took the points." He held his hand out to Sapphire. "I asked her to give my wand back, but she hasn't yet." He added pointedly.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Professor Kingsley looked at her son's friend, an aghast expression crossing her face as she admitted to shooting a spell at a prefect. The expression didn't disappear as the victim in all of this moved closer, his face covered in angry and painful looking marks. Pursing her lips as he named Arvel as the person who had done this to him, Cyndi turned her gaze to the boy only half expecting a denial. So far, she believed that whatever had happened here, Tristan had been well within his rights to remove some house points.

"Mr. Ayers, no one is going away until we figure this out" she reprimanded, turning her attention to Tristan, glad that she was going to get a more full picture. She listened, very troubled by what she had heard. "Well...what are you waiting for?" the professor scolded the young girl, looking pointedly at the extra wand she was holding. It made the woman wonder if the young girl was involved more in this than perhaps Tristan knew. She knew that Arvel had been in an altercation with her son in the past.

"I'm sorry. I don't know your name but perhaps you should go to the hospital wing" she said gently before turning her attention back to the rest, any warmth in her voice vanishing. "I don't know who you think you are disarming a prefect. I am very concerned about what you expected to do while Tristan was wandless" she stated. "Go straight to your common room. I'm going to be sending a note to Kalif about this" she added sternly. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Arvel?" He was crying, she knew. But he had neither confirmed nor denied a thing yet.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire's breath caught in her throat as Nixon came into the light. "Geez Nixon, you okay?" She took a half step toward him when Jake's mom pointed out she still had the other bloke's wand. "Huh? Oh." She tossed it back, unconcerned. She'd been here three years and half the time she still forgot she had one herself. She looked at Arvel as he claimed to hate everyone, a slight pout on her face. Aw, she hadn't even done anything yet. Then Jacob's mom turned on her, and Sapph looked up at her with slight confusion on her face. "I didn't know he was a prefect," She responded simply. "All I knew was Arvel was backed against the wall by a guy twice as big and looking terrified. I'm not even sure who this bloke is,"

She looked at the guy she didn't know. "It just looked bad and I didn't want Arvel getting hurt. I'll go if you want me to." She shrugged, turning back to Jake's mom. If she listened to rumors, this looked the guy that humiliated Domi when she tried to confess to him, but Sapph had never been one to bother with rumors. She ducked to try and catch Nixon's eye, distracted as she ever was. "You gunna be alright?"

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Arvel's reaction to being caught was pathetic and Nixon would have said as such an exclaimed that he hated Arvel in return if Tristan hadn't begun to explain the situation to the professor. Instead of saying more and interrupting the older boy speaking, Nixon scoffed and crossed his arms, staring at the back of Arvel's head with a deep frown on his boil covered face. This proved Arvel was no more than a bitter coward playing the victim suddenly when he was the one to cast the spell and ruin what had been a perfect night for Nixon. His gaze fixated on Arvel was unflinching until the professor eventually spoke to him, and he looked over to the woman and nodded to show he understood though he knew he wanted to wait a little while longer before leaving for the hospital wing to see Arvel get a punishment for what he had done. The extra commotion between Tristan and Sapphire was one Nixon didn't care about and something he wanted to ignore as more people involved and seeing him in this state was the last thing he needed, and he promptly responded to Sapphire's question of whether he was alright with sarcasm in his voice to shut her up. "Do I look okay?" He spat, giving another scoff. With the rest of the situation being talked about Nixon moved his attention back to Arvel and resumed his stance of staring the younger boy down, wanting to see what was going to happen next.​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel wished the stone wall would open up so that he could fall through it. If only he could just stop crying. He knew how pathetic he looked - how it must have seemed to everybody that he was trying to evade punishment by turning on the waterworks. As if he'd have embarrassed himself like this if he could help it. He didn't bother arguing with Tristan. He didn't want to. What he'd done to Nixon was absolutely awful; he would only have felt worse if he'd gotten away with it. In response to Professor Kingsley, Arvel shook his head, still leaning into the wall with his arms between his face and the stone. At some point, he was going to have to turn around and face everbody. But not yet. "I did it," he said, his voice thick and muffled by his sleeve. "I did. I'm really sorry." Nixon was never going to forgive him for this. If Arvel had had any chance with him, it had vanished in the single blink of an eye.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan was glad he had managed to tell his side of the story, and he knew he was certainly the clearest about what had happened out of everyone. Professor Kingsley seemed to actually listen to him, which made him feel more at ease. Then he had to hide a smile as the professor told the annoying girl off for interfering. It hadn't been her place to jump in like that, and it wasn't actually like he had been hurting Arvel. He had just been angry. He was glad to get his wand back, but the girl's response to Professor Kingsley surprised him, as her tone seemed... very casual. He was annoyed that she claimed not to know he was a prefect, as he had hoped that was common knowledge by now. She certainly didn't seem intimidated. If a professor had told him to go straight to the common room in that tone, he definitely would have been on his way already. But she wasn't his problem, and he was glad Professor Kingsley was here to take care of things. He did frown slightly at the way she described how he had had been standing in front of Arvel. He had been angry, but he was hardly twice as big. Besides, it wasn't her business in the slightest. "I was angry, yes. But I wasn't going attack him." He said incredulously, frowning at her. "And I don't see how it's your business." He added, then looked away from her, ready to move on. He looked at Nixon, who still seemed very upset. But then Arvel spoke, and Tristan turned to him instead. It pleased him that the boy confessed, but there wasn't much more to it. He really wanted to know why he had done it, but knew that he probably wasn't going to learn that tonight. He cleared his throat. "Professor, is it alright if I take Nixon to the hospital wing?" He asked softly, stepping closer to the boy he had been kissing only a few minutes before. "If you need me to say more about the situation, I'm happy to come to your office later, or even return after I make sure Nixon is okay. But I think he could use some help." He said, putting a hand on Nixon's arm reassuringly. He felt like this was the right move to make, and he also kind of wanted to get out of the situation for a little while. It was exhausting, and he was still angry. He needed to cool off, and he really wanted to tell Vivian about the turn his evening had taken. After he had dropped Nixon off with one of the nurses, he needed to catch up with him.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

"I've already asked you to go once. I'm not going to ask again" the woman stated harshly. She had seen Jacob hanging around this girl a time or two, but if this was how she behaved around adults, Cyndi had serious questions about her son's friendship with her. Jacob was in a period of instability and he didn't need such a bad influence. She turned away from the girl then, expecting it would be her last words to the young girl The woman let out a sigh as Arvel admitted to what he'd done. She didn't enjoy punishing students or leading them to their punishment, but sometimes it had to be done. She had a feeling that Arvel would be punishing himself for far longer than any physical punishment he received, judging by his current reaction.

Nodding at Tristan's sensible offer, Professor Kingsley offered the two teenagers a softer expression. It wasn't a smile but clearly not the stern expression she'd offered the other two. "That's a good idea, Tristan. I hope the nurses can sort you out quickly enough" she stated with a nod to the afflicted boy. "I don't think your return will be necessary. Try to enjoy the rest of your night. I'll be sending your Head of House word of how helpful you've been in this situation." With those last words, the professor reached for her wand and summoned a roll of toilet paper to her side. "Mr.... Arvel... here" she stated, not as gruffly as she'd hoped to sound. She was still not happy but the boy was bawling. "Let's talk before we head off" she added.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire had to bite back an aggravated sigh. Really, what in the world was going on tonight? She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. When had anyone ever been nice to her? She was going soft. She wasn't sure why she had expected this to be any different. Bullies were bullies, and they were charming and always got their way. She found her opinion of Nixon had dropped considerably. The guy he was with was ignorant and knew how to play a situation. She'd seen his type before, and she still didn't like him. She couldn't decide what to think of Arvel. But the behavior of Jake's mom was what stung her the most.

She knew that look- she'd been written off already. She'd seen it a million times in the foster parents that had never spared her more than a glance. Sapph had never had an adult that actually bothered to listen, or understand, or be decent. Why should this be any different? She turned and left without another word. She didn't feel like being helpful anymore. It never did anything but turn around and bite her. For the first time since coming here, she found she hated school. The people that were supposed to look after you, the prefects and the professors, were either oblivious or power-hungry idiots. She tried to pull herself together on the way back to the dorms. Professor Pendleton was the only one who seemed to have moments of decency. She wasn't sure when she had started caring about stupid things like this, but she was over it already.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Nixon couldn't tell if he was relieved or further annoyed when Arvel admitted the truth, because it was only after playing the victim and others had spoken the truth for him that he had no other option but to confess. It was as if he would have chosen to act pathetic otherwise and continue begging for sympathy that he was the wronged party if he wasn't so obviously called out. Nixon wanted to comment on this and felt the frown on his face deepen but as Tristan offered to take him to the hospital wing he wasn't able to stare and wait for much longer nevertheless make a decision of how to feel. With both the professor and Tristan in agreement that he needed to go to the hospital wing to see a nurse and fix this boil problem, Nixon knew the subject couldn't be evaded, and in response he looked to Tristan and nodded. The hand on his arm was appreciated and as he turned to walk away he unfolded his arms, agreeing as well it was his time to leave this situation behind no matter how badly he wanted to see Arvel hurt for ruining his night. Staying would cause more problems than it was worth and Nixon did not need to drag himself into another set of problems that night. "Let's go find a nurse or something." Nixon said simply, beginning to leave and assuming Tristan would accompany him.​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

The knife of guilt twisted in Arvel's stomach. Had he known Nixon would have to go to the hospital wing to recover from his jinx, he would never, ever had cast it. He'd only meant to embarrass him a bit, not seriously injure him. When Professor Kingsley said his name, Arvel slowly turned around, braced in preparation to be yelled at. But it didn't come. Perhaps she was waiting until they were alone - then she would unleash an almighty tirade upon him. Yet the way she offered him a roll of paper didn't seem particularly angry. He took it and pulled off a thick wad to blot his face, grateful for something to hide behind. While everybody else was sent away in different directions, Professor Kingsley told Arvel to wait behind and talk. This was it. In a way, he almost hoped she would reprimand him. He knew that he'd done wrong, and would only have felt worse if he somehow got away with it lightly. At the same time, all he wanted was the chance to talk, to explain himself, to make Professor Kingsley understand that he hadn't meant Nixon any harm. He wasn't like that! He just had so many... feelings. So many that he didn't know what to do with them all.